UK rapper Nines is making headlines, though unfortunately it’s not because of his chart-topping tracks. The 33-year-old musician, whose real name is Courtney Freckleton, was held after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday, Nov. 15, according to Metropolitan Police and a Daily Mail report.
A video posted on social media showed Nines handcuffed while four uniformed officers led him away in the west London airport. Nines was charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis and possession of the Class B drug.
He is also facing three counts of breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order by allegedly not notifying the police of his home address and possessing a second phone and laptop he had neglected to register with officers, according to court documents.
The rapper lives in Bushey, Hertfordshire and appeared in custody at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court last Friday. According to a court official, he did not enter pleas to any of the charges and was granted conditional bail by District Judge Kathryn Veghis. He is due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on Dec. 15 for a plea and case management hearing.
In 2021, Nines admitted to a charge relating to a plot with other individuals to import 28 kilograms of cannabis from Spain and POland. He also admitted to a charge of money laundering surrounding a £98,000 debt, the street value of the cannabis and the use of Bitcoin to buy the cannabis.
He was given a 28-month sentence for the guilty plea, though he was released in early 2022. Nines previously served 18 months in prison in 2013 for possession of cannabis with the intent to supply. At the time, early in his music career, he aimed to stay connected to fans by releasing his prisoner number and asking listeners to write to him.
Nines hails from Harlesden, a district in northwest London, and first rose to fame with his 2017 debut album, One Foot Out. Since then, he’s released four other albums.
Nines’ latest album, Crop Circle 3, peaked at number two in the UK charts following its October release. The latest release followed Crop Circle 2, also released in 2023 which acted as a followup to 2018’s Crop Circle. The rapper also won the MOBO Award for best hip-hop act and topped the UK album chart with the release of his 2020 LP, Crabs In A Bucket. The record was also named album of the year at the MOBO awards.
While he has stated that he’s always rapped to some degree, Nines previously worked as a DJ and has worked in various forms of visual media, working with film and editing—which has bled into his musical career.
Cannabis is illegal to possess, grow, distribute or sell in the U.K. Cannabis is part of the Class B drug status, which includes amphetamines, barbiturates and dihydrocodeine. These drugs are considered less harmful than Class A drugs, which includes heroin, methadone, cocaine, MDMA, magic mushrooms and methamphetamines.
In the UK, being “concerned with the supply” of a drug is often applied to individuals accused of being involved in a chain of drug supply.
While medical cannabis is legal in the UK, it can only be prescribed by doctors who are registered with the General Medical Council or through the National Health Service. Despite the legal status of medical cannabis, which was legalized in 2018, the system is still fairly limited with specific qualifying conditions and limited means to actually issue prescriptions to patients in need.
The maximum penalty for cannabis possession in the UK is five years imprisonment and a fine of up to £2,500. Those prosecuted for supplying or producing an illicit drug can also face up to 14 years in prison.
